Hi everybody, I’m Alyssa from the Double Chin Diary! Martinus was kind enough to let me stop by for a little while and tell you some of the cool things I’ve learned about exercise. I have about 80 pounds to lose and was well on my way with 26 pounds down — when all of a sudden, I piled on 20 pounds in four months. Confused and frustrated, I headed to the doctor where I was diagnosed with PCOS, a common women’s hormonal disorder. I’m now on a treatment plan and am committed to getting my life (and smaller jeans size) back! A big part of this treatment plan is regular exercise. Since I used to think walking to the fridge was a good workout, it’s taken me awhile to get to a place where I value and enjoy being fit. Here’s some research-based facts that helped me adjust to my new exercise-focused lifestyle, and they just might help get you movin’, too.

1. 10 minutes can make a difference in your attitude! I used to cringe when people said exercise was one of the best treatments for mood; but now I know it’s true. Did you know just 10 minutes of brisk walking is enough to help you get out of a funk or turn a frown upside down? After ten minutes your life won’t be perfect, but endorphins start popping up and soothing chemicals start swirling, helping to reduce stress and energize your body.
2. Exercise can give you better skin. Before I incorporated fitness into my life, I used to call my chin “the battle zone”. Now I’m happy to say my skin is less of a battle zone and more of a once-monthly hormonal zone, if ya catch my drift.  Skin is our body’s largest organ, and sweat helps slough off dead skin cells, bacteria and purge out toxins. Sweating regularly (and make sure you’re drinking water at the same time) can help you get dewy, glowy skin that will make all the neighborhood babies jealous.

   

3. Being outdoors makes you want to exercise more. A recent study by Ohio State University suggests that you’ll be 23% more likely to keep at a fitness routine if it involves being outdoors. I definitely find this to be true for myself, because even a leisurely walk around the local park is way more preferable to breathing in someone else’s funk on a treadmill. To each their own, but give it a try when the weather’s on your side.

   

4. Cardio counts. For weight loss and general heart health, cardio will always be your friend. Did you know just 45 minutes of cardio exercise can boost your resting metabolic rate (aka, how many calories you burn) by 37% for up to 14 hours?! That’s a huge difference in the way your body burns fat, develops muscle and turns calories into energy.

   

5.  The early bird gets the ZZzZzZ. Exercise is exercise, so if you can’t squeeze in your workout until evening, don’t fret. But, if you can motivate yourself to crawl out of bed in the morning, you’ll be rewarded with an easier time falling asleep. Early morning light resets your circadian rhythms, while a night time workout can delay your melatonin release, making it tougher to snooze at the same time each night.So there you have it – five interesting facts about exercise. Did you already know some of these tips, or do you find any of them to be true? Are there any other interesting facts about exercise I didn’t mention above? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Hello to all the readers of 300 Pounds and Running! I am honored to be doing a guest post here for all of you. As a fellow runner, I thought I would share some tips for dealing with running funks.

Every runner I know has at some point, gotten into a funk. These funks can happen for any number of reasons: injury, running lost its excitement, exhaustion, hectic life, post-race blues, this list could go on and on. This past year I have witnessed myself and several others I know go through this. I won’t lie, when mine started, I was in denial that it existed. My excuses were work was busy, school was starting, and I was buying a house. Seriously, there were moments my husband had to talk me off the ledge. Previously, running was my sanity when life got crazy… suddenly, I couldn’t peel my butt off the couch if I tried. I became miserable, emotional, and unhappy with myself. I wasn’t gaining weight, but I felt like I gained a million pounds and started to hate my body and began making less healthy choices. I realized in August that something needed to be done before the funk became permanent and the dust on my run shoes grew any thicker.

In attending a work training, I heard someone talk about making a contract with yourself. Although it had nothing to do with running or healthy living, it was like a siren went off in my head. YES! A contract with myself, this was the answer. Over the next week or so I really evaluated my life. My contract wasn’t just going to be running, it was going to be my life.  I set goals for my running, my health, my personal life. I chose to do it this way, because let’s face it, when one area suffers, they all suffer. For some reason, with goals, deadlines and an end in sight, I thrive. I don’t say, I will always take Tuesday spin class, but I schedule it out for a specific time. When I complete that goal, I feel a sense of accomplishment and plan another one.

The same goes with running. I would love to say carte blanche I will run 4-5 days a week, but that doesn’t happen, EVER. Plus, to me, that isn’t specific enough, if I run down the street, does that count? Instead I look over my schedule, I pick a minimum of 3 days, I schedule runs at specific times of various distances. I do this for a month at a time, then, revisit and revise.

Another great way I have dealt with funks is to change things up. I was running and training and doing hill sprints and fartleks, etc. But I was bored. Same old streets, same old workouts. Sound familiar? So, I started hitting trails, in different areas. I signed up for an obstacle course mud run. Something different and challenging. In changing a few things in my routine, I slowly reignited my love of running. I took several months off from local road races. At first hesitant to do this, I know it helped me get back to where I needed to be with running. Soon, I was ready to dive back in to races. I will do 3 in 2 months. I signed up for a challenging course, something I know I won’t PR on, but will complete.

When you get stuck in a running or fitness rut, take a step back, sometimes, you may need to take a few days off to reevaluate. What are your goals, why are you doing this, what is the big picture? Can you make changes anywhere to your routine or goals to bring new excitement into it? But most importantly, realize, these funks happen, to almost every athlete I know. Do not beat yourself up, that will only make it worse. Make it fun again. Stop checking your pace and enjoy the run for what it is, a run. Enjoy the beauty outside.

Angela is a health educator by day, a runner that loves yoga, cooking, and being an awesome dog mom to her two furbabies. Check out her blog: Sole Sister On The Run. You can find her on twitter @SoleSisteronRun

 

 

Until Next Time I’m 300 Pounds and Running

P.s. Have you voted for me lately?

3 Tips to Get the Spark Back (in your Weight Loss Journey)

Hello folks. My name is Hank D. Hanna. The D stands for Danger. I think my parents thought it would be funny. It wasn’t. I attract too much unwanted attention because of it. But I digress. I am a weight loss blogger and I keep my thoughts on how to lose pounds
on my blog The Business of Losing Weight. Hit me up if you ever want to know my thoughts. But be warned, honesty is a dish best served with a side of asparagus.

Let’s be honest here folks

Trying to lose weight is a job. There is nothing easy about it and if you do not work hard to maintain the lifestyle then it WILL fall by the wayside and the spark or motivation to continue will diminish. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like a relationship, doesn’t it? Wow. I feel like we are getting ready to delve into some crazy deep stuff right now.

So losing weight is like a marriage (or other long term relationship). When you first get involved, things tend to be going well. Life is fresh and exciting. You long to keep that spark lit and do things to keep the sizzle sizzling. But then, things start to slow down. You find yourself not trying as hard, maybe because you don’t think you have to. You find yourself getting distracted, not because you want to, but because the excitement is waning. You find yourself less motivated on a daily basis and things start to come apart. All of the sudden you realize that you have hit an emotional brick wall. You begin to wonder how it happened. But deep down you know that because of time and the amount of energy you put into it up front, that fatigue and maybe even boredom have crept into your life. It isn’t that you DON’T want this anymore. You just need something to keep things FRESH and EXCITING.

But remember, just like with marriage, this relationship with losing weight and getting healthy will still take time and energy. You just need to refocus. You have moved away from the “madly-in-love” stage and it is time to move into the “down-to-earth union of friendship and intimacy that happy long-term relationships are built on.

So here are 3 easy steps to rekindle that flame and find your weight loss motivation:

1. Shake Things Up

Remember the spontaneous days when you and weight loss were just getting to know each other? You would do anything to make weight loss notice you. You lifted heavy, you ran as fast and far as you could, and you counted every last calorie. But then you settled into a routine. You started to get comfortable. It was easy enough to keep the same running pace and maybe even back off a little. You pretty much knew what you were eating so you quit counting calories. And I mean, come on, that bag of Skittles shouldn’t really count towards your calorie count anyway, right? Well now that things have become mundane, it is time to shake things up. Try a new series of workouts. Try a new class. Do research on foods that are clean and healthy that you have never tried before. Challenge yourself to eat the most interesting, yet healthy foods that you can. AND MAKE SURE TO TRACK YOUR CALORIES. If you are in a weight loss rut then get back to the basics.

2. Appreciate the Small Things (That are usually much larger than they seem)

Whenever we hit the weight loss doldrums we tend to get a bit depressed and we think things like, “Why bother.” Don’t forget about the little victories that HAVE happened during the journey you have been on. Remember that pair of jeans that didn’t fit before, but now do? Remember what is was like when you couldn’t fit in a booth at the restaurant but now you can? Maybe you haven’t reached victories like those yet. Maybe your only victory is that you had an entire week where you ate right and worked out and you lost 2 pounds. Own those victories and remember how you felt when they happened! Set realistic goals on a weekly basis and reward yourself (not with food, you are not a dog) when you hit them. It is always better to set several small goals with increasing difficulty than to try and go all out on the one major, seemingly unattainable, goal.

3. Deal With Conflict

In a successful relationship we must always learn that there are certain things that we need to let go of and certain things that we need to have patience with. These are usually the things that cause conflict. Weight loss is no different. There are certain things that will cause conflict in your journey. It may be certain types of foods that trigger negative responses. It may be a weight loss plateau. Whatever it is, learn to deal with it. DO NOT IGNORE IT. If you habitually run away from conflict then you will never be able to overcome it. Identify your issues, generate options, be open to tangents, focus on underlying needs, clarify the criteria needed to make a decision, implement that plan, then evaluate. Always remember that there will be hurdles on any journey. Be prepared and you will overcome them.

You know that you do not want this flame to die out. But sometimes finding the motivation to continue can be difficult. Try these three small tips out and see if you can’t rekindle the passion and desire you once had. Your body will thank you. Your life will thank you. (Who knows, maybe your lover will thank you!)

This is a picture of me running last week. I took part in a relay here in Halifax Nova Scotia called the Rum Runners Relay that consisted of 70 teams (10 runners each) running a cumulative 110km (or 68ish miles). Being the “competitive” runner that I am (and in the midst of marathon training) I chose the longest leg of the relay making me runner number 4 with a distance of 17. 1 km (10.6 miles). I love this picture for a number of reasons. First off I look really fast! I mean the action shot is just about as cool as one could ask for when running. Both of my feet are clearly off the ground. My running stance looks damn near perfect and did I mention I look fast?

It’s one of those runs where everything just falls into place. I’m not fast runner by any means. It took me and hour and forty minutes to complete this run but every step felt good. It’s one of those runs you wish you could just tuck in your pocket and pull out on days when the running isn’t feeling so good.

But it wasn’t always like this.

This is me not too long ago. This was taken February of 2010 and it was the first time I had run for 5 minutes non-stop.

When I began this Life Changing Journey I weighed 270 pounds and never imagined I would be able to even run 5 minutes let alone the marathons I am currently conquering. When I got down to 250 pounds I began running with the ever popular Couch to 5K program and something happened; I actually liked running.

If you’re a new runner (like Martinus) you’re probably thinking the same thing we all do when we a) weigh a lot b) want to use running as a tool to losing weight; You’ll never be good enough, never fast enough and everybody is going to point and laugh.

At 250 pounds I ran a 15 minute mile on average. Today I can hold pretty steady (at least for a few miles) around a 9 minute mile. At 250 pounds I couldn’t run for more than a mile without needing some serious rest days. Today I am a marathoner. At 250 pounds I never imagined the runner I would become but today I am the runner I was meant to be.

Listen, I won’t ever be the fastest runner on the block. Neither will you unless you have some god-like genes that have gone undiscovered until the day you strapped on a pair of running shoes. The thing about running is it helps us understand that we can commit not only to our health but to ourselves in general. Running can be lonely and take away from spending time with the people we care about but ultimately you get to spend the time with the one person you should care more about than anyone else: yourself. Running helps us to achieve goals we never imagined possible and it opens the possibility that maybe we could chase other goals.

Don’t focus too much on how fast you think you should be running or how far. Don’t focus on what you imagine other people are thinking when you pass them on the streets. Focus on what running is really doing for you; it’s making your life awesome one kick ass step at a time!

~Tara

Twitter: @tidbits_of_tara